Sharp Blue
by Swift tales
Summary: Eric Ryan slash this is the third story in my Odd Colour Series and is the sequel to Canary Yellow and Hot pink
1. Chapter 1

St: Hello everybody and welcome to the first chapter of the third story in my Odd Colour Series. Sharp Blue is the sequel to Canary Yellow which is the sequel to Hot Pink. I hope everyone likes this part as much as they liked the previous ones, so far this is the one that is going to have most action in it, I already have thought out most of the plot and I'll try to update as faithfully as I have updated in the past

Now on with the fic

Chapter 1

They were spooned together, Ryan's pale skin a beautiful contrast to Eric's darker tone. It was a lazy morning, the kind when all you want to do is stay in bed. Small kisses were dropped on Ryan's skin and the young man moaned when Eric sucked on the pale flesh. "Don't you have to go to work?" "Hmmm, it's not fair that you have the day off today." Eric said, his hands smoothing over Ryan's sides. "Yes it is, lover, if I remember correctly you had the day off last week and almost made me late."

Eric's hands started caressing and Ryan arched into his touches. Eric chuckled. "The key word is almost, Ryan. Besides, I've still got time." He kissed Ryan's shoulder again, before shifting them both until he was settled in the cradle of Ryan's body. He nuzzled into Ryan's throat, causing the younger man to chuckle. "You don't have time, you just don't mind being late just so you can…" But Eric kissed him fiercely before the other man could finish his sentence.

Eric used his mouth to seduce Ryan, nipping and biting at the sensitive skin, causing Ryan to whimper and arch into him, wanting more. Eric's one hand fumbled for the lube on the bedside table and a condom. It didn't take long to prepare Ryan as he was still loose from last night and Eric slipped into him easily, causing both of them to groan.

Eric moaned when Ryan wrapped his legs around Eric's hips and he felt the young man claw at his back. He'd never get tired of this feeling, would always savour and revel in it because there was nothing better then being inside of Ryan, feeling Ryan all around him. He wanted to remember everything, the feeling of Ryan's muscles clenching around him, the way Ryan arched against him as he searched for that one spit hidden deep inside of Ryan. He wanted to imprint the way Ryan's skin tasted on to his memory because this was everything he ever wanted.

This was love.

Ryan threw his head back and whimpered when Eric started to thrust. The Cuban keeping his eyes wide open, looking at every emotion playing across Ryan's face. His lover was beautiful like this, his skin flushed, lips swollen, eyes dark and filled with arousal and need while his body kept straining to get closer to Eric.

Eric started to thrust then, hard and deep. Ryan moaned and he could feel Ryan's nail tear the skin on his back. He smiled to himself, he didn't mind in the least. His hips started moving faster and harder, almost thrusting on their own accord while Eric's mind got lost in the pleasure. He could feel his orgasm pulling at him, ripping him away from the real world and casting him away.

It took him a while to come back down to earth and when he did he could feel the warmth of Ryan's cum all over his stomach. He smiled lazily at Ryan, who was blinking sleepily. Ryan reached up and ran a hand through Eric's hair. "You called out my name." Ryan whispered. Eric raised his eyebrows at Ryan, who seemed indefinitely pleased.

"Aren't you going to be late?" Eric blinked at the his lover and nodded. "Yeah, probably… want to take a shower with me?" Ryan smiled and nodded. Eric slowly stood and pulled Ryan up with him. "Come on, baby." Eric said, tugging on Ryan's hand. The younger man just let Eric lead him to the bathroom.

They were standing in the shower together when Eric crowded Ryan against one of the tiled walls. Ryan looked up at him through his lashes and Eric growled, shoving Ryan against the tile and kissing him harshly, lifting him up. Ryan wrapped his legs around Eric's hips immediately and Eric shifted Ryan until his already aching member was poised at Ryan's entrance.

Their eyes met and they shared a look for a split second, conveying whole messages by just looking at each other.

_This is the first time without protection _

_Is that alright, baby? _

_Yes_

And then Eric thrust up while he pushed Ryan down and Eric groaned. Ryan whimpered and bit down on Eric's shoulder. Eric moaned at the slight pain and rocked into Ryan, fucking his lover into the tile. It didn't take long before there orgasms rushed over them. They stilled and Eric helped Ryan to regain his footing. They leaned against each other for a while, breathing heavily.

"You're really going to be late now."

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own

Chapter 2

Eric sighed as he got out of the hummer. He had pulled an all nighter and even though he knew his lover would understand he still couldn't suppress the feeling of guilt. Eric smiled, he loved coming home to his lover, loved the way Ryan's eyes lit up when he saw Eric or when Eric called Ryan's place home.

Because Ryan's place was home, he couldn't even remember the last time he'd seen the inside of his apartment and he already had his own key. Ryan had also made room for Eric in his closet and in the bathroom. He could still remember that night when they were about to go to sleep, Ryan sprawled all over his chest suggesting that maybe Eric should consider moving in permanently. Eric's smile had never been so wide before.

He wondered how Ryan's day had been, seeing how Rowen had the habit of kidnapping his lover when he had the day off. He smiled at the thought and approached the door, only to stop mid-step when he saw it was wide open.

Ryan never left the front door open and neither did Rowen.

Eric frowned and let one hand hover over his gun and he quietly approached the door. He drew his gun and held it in front of him, his arm outstretched. With his other hand he pushed open the door. His feeling off unease increased ten fold when he noticed the bloodstain on the floor. He quickly moved passed it, his training urging him to be careful and preserve the evidence while at the same he wanted to move quickly in case Ryan was hurt. He noticed a few strands of brown hair peek passed the sofa and quickly securing the room he moved for it.

He already knew it wasn't Ryan, the hair was definitely a few shades lighter then Ryan's dark hair and much to long. Rowen was lying on the floor, a blood stain on her canary yellow top brought a stab wound to attention. She was breathing shallowly and was unconscious. Eric knew he had to check the rest of the house, but he couldn't just leave her here. Deciding on a course of action he grabbed his cell phone and called for help.

"I'll be right back alright?" Eric said, brushing back some of her hair but she didn't respond. He stood and quickly checked the other rooms in the house. He took notice of the mess and signs of a struggle in the bedroom and the bathroom, but besides that there was nothing. Eric tried to suppress the growing feeling of panic. Ryan was nowhere to be found.

The calling of the sirens alerted him and he quickly went back down stairs, checking on Rowen whose condition hadn't altered in the few minutes Eric had left her. The paramedics arrived quickly and checked Rowen over. They said they would take her to Desert Palms hospital and just when they loaded her into the ambulance the first officer responding to the scene showed up.

The officer told him to wait right there and that CSI would arrive shortly.

Eric nodded and chuckled humourlessly when the patrol cop went to secure the scene, Rowen would have made some crack about CSI already being there. He tried hard to reign in his emotions, he didn't know what to make of the situation even though he knew what it looked like. Rowen was found, stabbed in Ryan's house. It didn't take a rocket scientist to add two and two and come to four.

Eric couldn't bare the thought of standing there just waiting, so taking his cell phone he called his lover's. He stared at the house while the phone rang and kept ringing. Eventually he hung up, trying to fight the urge to call Ryan's cell phone over and over again. Ryan always answered his phone, always had his phone with him.

He hadn't realized his thoughts had drifted off until a hand on his shoulder startled him out of his reverie. He turned around and looked into blue eyes. "Horatio." Eric said, not quite recognizing his own voice. "Eric? What are you doing here?" He blinked. "Didn't you know? This is Ryan's place, I found…" He trailed off, seeing his own memories again. "This is Ryan's place? I thought the address sounded familiar." There was a pause. "Eric listen to me, I need you to tell me everything that happened."

Eric nodded. "I came home and .." "Home?" Horatio interrupted, surprise evident in his voice. "You call Ryan's place home?" Eric shifted uncomfortably, he wasn't sure if Ryan would approve of Eric outing them to their boss, but at the same time he couldn't work around the question and he cursed his slip up. Why hadn't he been smart enough to say 'I was just stopping by.'?

"Ryan and I … we're involved, with each other. I hardly see the inside of my apartment these days." If the situation wasn't so stressing Eric might have laughed, he'd never seen his boss look… baffled before. "Alright, go on." The red head said, clearly digesting this new information.

"As I said, I'd just come home and I was approaching the door when I noticed it was open. Ryan never leaves the door open, I think it has something to do with his OCD or something, but I never asked. I entered with my gun drawn, my gut was telling me something was wrong and I always listen to my gut, H. I noticed a blood stain on the carpet and I quickly moved forward, trying to preserve any possible evidence at the same time. It was when I entered the living room that I noticed Rowen, she's a friend of ours. I called the paramedics as soon as I noticed she was stabbed."

"I quickly checked the other rooms downstairs and then went upstairs. I noticed a disturbance in the bedroom and one in the bathroom. It was then that I heard the sirens coming this way and I went back downstairs to check on Rowen. Ryan was nowhere to be found, so after the paramedics left I tried calling his cell phone, but there was no answer. I'm kind of worried H, Ryan always has his cell phone with him and he always answers it."

Horatio nodded. "Alright, I understand." They both looked up when they saw a hummer park near the crime scene. A flash of blond hair alerted them to the fact that it was Calleigh. Horatio nodded to her in greeting as she approached. The young woman smiled widely. "Hey Horatio, Eric. I thought you had the day off seeing as you pulled a double shift and needed your rest." Eric opened his mouth to say something and shut it again.

Horatio stepped in. "Eric was the one who called it in, Calleigh." Calleigh immediately turned worried eyes on her friend. "This isn't your place is it? Is it of someone you know?" Eric shifted uncomfortably. "It's Ryan's place." Her eyes widened. "Oh my lord, is he alright?" "We don't know." Horatio said. "Ryan wasn't here, but a friend of him was found stabbed in the living room. Eric has tried calling Ryan but he won't pick up the phone."

Calleigh frowned. "That doesn't sound quite like him." Eric nodded. Horatio suppressed a sigh and put his hands on his hips. "Alright, Calleigh I want you to process the room, be extra thorough on this. While normally we would consider Ryan a suspect especially as he's nowhere to be found, we all know he would never do something like this. That means there is a possibility that something happened to Ryan we don't know about yet. Eric, you-" "I want to work on this case." The Cuban said, interrupting his boss.

Horatio gave him a look and Eric hurriedly continued, needing to convince Horatio that he could do this. "Look, H, I know I won't be able to put aside my feelings, I love Ryan and that is not something I can push aside." He ignored the startled gasp from Calleigh. Right now he didn't really care if Ryan would be upset with him because he outed them, because convincing Horatio that he could work on this case was important.

"But you need me. The one who knows Ryan best is Rowen, but she's hurt right now and we don't know if she's going to be okay. I know Ryan's schedule best, I know who he has contact with, if he had fights with anyone. Besides, you and Calleigh need everyone you can get. You need me to work on this case. I need to work on this case."

There was silence for a minute.

"You do realize, Eric, that you could become a suspect in this. I can't just let you work this case." "But H, I had nothing to do with this, you know that. I would never hurt Ryan." Horatio looked at him, his piercing blue eyes coming into contact with Eric's determined brown ones. "Alright then, Eric, go to the hospital and gather Ryan's clothes and any evidence that might be on her body and have a nurse run a rape kit just to be sure. I want you to take Calleigh's hummer because your car will need to be processed to make sure you're not a suspect. Calleigh, I'll give you a ride back to the lab later on."

Eric nodded and quickly went for Calleigh's hummer, trying to ignore the young woman's wide eyes following him. It must have come as quite a shock to her to find out what Eric felt for Ryan. As he got in the hummer he watched Horatio say something to Calleigh who quickly approached the house. Starting the car, he quickly made for Desert Palms Hospital and wondered where in the world his lover could be.

MEANWHILE

Ryan groaned when he gained consciousness. He didn't know how long he had been out of it and he had no idea where he was or what had happened. He blinked and opened his eyes only to notice that he couldn't see anything. He moved his head and realized that he had a blindfold wrapped around his eyes. According to the vibrations underneath him he was in a car, moving fast. He frowned when he realized he couldn't move his hands or his feet.

He sighed and leaned back, trying to concentrate on what happened. He could remember Eric leaving for work that morning and he could remember Rowen coming over a few hours later. They went out to see a movie together and when he came back... Everything after that was disorganized and a blur of images.

Suddenly a memory so vivid brushed in front of his eyes and he gasped. Rowen! He could remember a knife entering her abdomen and the blood rush out when the blade was pulled back. He could see her crash into the ground and roll over onto her back, trying to stop the bleeding. He could see her eyes glaze over when she finally succumbed to the darkness of being unconscious.

He felt a panic attack rising. He wondered if Rowen was alright, if anyone had found her. And then his thoughts shifted back to his predicament. Whoever had stabbed Rowen must have taken him captive. He wondered if anyone would realise he was missing in time to find him.

And then he remembered. Eric! Eric would come home and find Rowen and then he would realize that Ryan was missing. He could feel his panic lessen. Eric was a good CSI and he would piece everything together with Calleigh's or Horatio's help and then they would find him. And Rowen would be okay too because Eric would find her and he would get her to a hospital. Yes, Ryan thought, trying to calm himself. Everything would turn out alright.

If only he could convince himself.

TBC

St: I have no idea how it goes at a crime scene, or what happens when you call 911 so forgive me if this is not credible or not belief worthy. And it's pretty obvious I have no idea how Horatio would handle a situation like that or how it should be handled in this case. So I'm just making it up as it goes along.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own

Chapter 3

Eric sighed as he looked at the woman on the hospital bed. She'd sustained severe blood loss due to the stab wound and she was unconscious. He'd scraped underneath her finger – and toenails and had combed her hair to see if anything got tangled u in it. He'd gotten some tissue from underneath the fingernails, as if she'd been able to scratch her attacker, knowing Rowen she probably fought like hell. Her clothes were in a paper bag standing next to his seat, the rape kit had come up empty.

He took Rowen's small hand in his and sighed again. "I wish you'd wake up, that you could tell us what happened." Eric dropped a kiss on Rowen's hand and stood, grabbing his evidence and leaving. He drove to the lab quickly, wanting to start processing. He dropped off the tissue from underneath Rowen's fingernails with Valera along with Rowen's clothes. There was a chance Valera might get some blood that didn't belong to Rowen from them.

After pressing on Valera that this case had priority and to page him as soon as she got results, he quickly changed into another shirt in the locker room. He left for the crime scene, not wanting to do nothing but wait on Valera's results. He borrowed the spare kit, glad that he'd restocked it about a week ago and another camera.

The police tape in front of Ryan's house made him wince. He'd always considered this house his haven, where he and Ryan could be together and where Rowen always showed up unannounced, smiling widely. Now his home was a crime scene. He noticed Horatio standing bend over, looking at something on the ground in the front lawn. "H?" Eric asked and the red head rose, turning around to look at Eric. "There is an impression, Eric, make sure you photograph and cast it in plaster." Eric nodded and did as he was told.

He turned back to regard the red-head who was looking at the house. "I'm surprised there isn't any press around yet." Eric said, looking around. Horatio turned to regard his young charge. "They will probably appear as soon as you're done processing. Word of what happens at a police officers home travels fast. I have to get back to the lab, Eric, but now you're here I'm sure you can give Calleigh a lift." Eric nodded. "Yeah sure." He watched the red head walk away.

He walked up to the door and took a deep breath. He could do this, he could go in there and treat it like any other crime scene. He had to do this, for Ryan.

"Calleigh?" "In the living room." He made for the living room, where she was squatted down at the spot he'd found Rowen. "And, did you find anything?" She looked up and regarded him silently before answering. "Well, the kitchen was clean, but look at this." Eric came closer and squatted down besides there.

"The carpet is damaged. There is a trail of circular holes from the door to this spot. It also goes up the stairs. I haven't followed it up there yet, but my guesses are it leads to the bathroom and the bedroom, seeing as you said there was a disturbance up there. I think they're from stiletto heels." Eric nodded. "There was a foot impression in the grass off the front lawn, the plaster is still drying, but there was deep hole where the heel was supposed to be. That points to a third person, Rowen wasn't wearing any, she hates stiletto heels."

They rose and Calleigh nodded. "So, we're dealing with a woman. There are no signs of the door being forced, so either the attacker had a key or they let her in. I think it started here, because there is some blood spatter along the puncture holes in the carpet. The attacker still had the knife with him and held it down, causing the blood to drip onto the carpet."

Eric nodded, thinking deeply. Calleigh sighed. "Well, I'll finish up here and then take a look in the spare bedroom." "Alright, I'll do the bathroom and the bedroom upstairs." Calleigh nodded and seemed to hesitate. "Are you alright?" Eric hesitated. "I'm… I'm fine, or as fine as I can be. I'm worried about Ryan and Rowen but I have to try and get passed that to process the evidence." Calleigh nodded and gave him a half-smile.

Eric went up the stairs, taking note of the holes in the carpet. They indeed led to the bathroom, the bedroom and back again. Eric decided to process the bed room first. He opened the door and this time fully took in the damage. The sheets were torn and pieces of it were thrown across the room. One of the nightstands was knocked over, the lamp on top off it smashed to pieces. The window was cracked.

Eric clenched his jaw, he could still remember how this room had looked the morning before. They had made love here, in their bed. Smiling and laughing and in love and now… He shook of the memories and stepped into the room. He started processing, going over the room carefully. He found pieces of silver embedded in an impression on the nightstand. There was also blood on it.

He photographed it twice from every angle and took a closer look. He swabbed it and pulled out a few of the silver fragments with his tweezers. He used mikrosil to get an impression. When the mikrosil was dry he peeled it off and took a good look at the impression. It looked like the knife had gotten stuck in the nightstand during the struggle, leaving an impression in the wood. Eric studied the indentation and the first thing that came to mind was a butcher's knife.

Bagging the mikrosil, silver fragments and the blood swap he moved on. He discovered some red fibbers sticking to some of the cracks in the window. He bagged them after taking a few pictures and continued processing. While he was bagging the torn shirt pieces he could hear Calleigh on the stairs and take off for the spare bedroom. After he finished processing, he left the room and went for the bathroom, again the damage of the room only truly registered now.

The glass walls of the shower were cracked and so was the mirror. Again, he found red fibbers and this time, he found one long, blond hair in the sink. Rowen had light brown hair and Ryan had dark brown hair. For a minute Calleigh's blond hair flashed through his mind but he immediately shrugged it off, he felt hot shame crawl up his spine when he thought about how easily he'd suspected his friend. Besides, Calleigh's hair was much brighter then this colour anyway. While he finished processing the bathroom he could hear Calleigh move downstairs again.

He gave the bathroom one last cursory glance and then left. He knew he hadn't found much but tried to keep that thought away. He went down the stairs and checked in the kitchen and then the living room, where he found Calleigh, who was looking at pictures on the mantle piece. He approached her from behind and looked with her. "Hey." Eric said. "Hey." Calleigh answered.

There were two pictures of Rowen and Ryan together. One was from when they graduated, their arms around each other and each holding a diploma in the other hand. The other was from when they were both in collage, from when they had been dating, Ryan had his arms wrapped around Rowen's waist while she was sitting on his lap, his chin resting on her shoulder, while he gave her a kiss on the cheek. Another was from Rowen, Ryan and Eric together. Eric had his arms wrapped around Ryan's middle, pulling his lover close to him while Rowen was standing next to Eric, grinning.

The last one had a huge crack in it, obstructing the picture from view. Calleigh frowned. "It's the only thing damaged in this entire room. The attacker must have done this on purpose, but why this photograph?" She turned to look at him. "Do you know what's on this picture?" Eric tried to remember what it was, but frowned when he came up blank. He shook his head. "I can't remember."

Calleigh took her tweezers and lifted up the frame. Carefully she extracted the photograph and then gasped. The photograph was off Ryan and Eric. The two of them hadn't been aware that Rowen had arrived with a photo camera and it was obvious. Eric had Ryan pinned against the door post, holding Ryan's hands above his head while he was sucking on Ryan's collar bone. Ryan had his thrown back and his mouth was open in pleasure.

Eric would never understand why Ryan had allowed Rowen to set it on his mantle piece. He could see Calleigh blush while she bagged the photograph and the frame.

When they left the house there were indeed numerous cameras and reporters as Horatio had predicted. They made a way through the crowd, ignoring the questions, knowing that Horatio would most likely give an official statement soon enough.

"Is it true that officer Wolfe is missing?"

"Is officer Wolfe one of the suspects?"

"Is it true that there was a woman found stabbed to death?"

"Is there any news on CSI Wolfe's whereabouts?"

The last question came from Erica Sikes and Eric looked up at the familiar voice. The young reporter looked dazzling as always, her blond hair pinned back. Her red and white, sleeveless dress complimented her figure and her Stiletto heels made her legs seem longer. He resisted the urge to glare at her as Rowen always did. He didn't need this right now. He got in the hummer and heard Calleigh get in after him. Sighing, he started the car and took off.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own

Chapter 4

Eric rubbed his eyes tiredly as he made himself another cup of coffee. The smell of Café Cubano woke him up a little and he took a sip. The break room was mercifully empty and he sagged down on his seat. They were still waiting until the tests had been completed and then they would meet up to discuss the case. At the mean time there was nothing they could do and it was tearing him to pieces.

He took another sip and looked out of the window. He wondered where his lover was at the moment, if he was alright… if he was still alive. For a minute he had a vision of Ryan lying pale and dead on Alexx' autopsy table and he drew a shuddering breath at the thought. He wouldn't survive if Ryan died, if he couldn't get Ryan back.

He shook of the thought and took another sip of coffee, trying to calm down his nerves. He looked up when he heard the door of the break room open and he smiled when Calleigh entered. She smiled at him and took a deep breath. "Hmm, you mind if I steal some of your coffee?" Eric shook his head. "Go ahead."

She made herself a cup, but when she picked it up she hurriedly put it back down. "What's wrong?" Eric asked, curious. Calleigh smiled. "Nothing, the cup is just a bit too hot that's all." The young woman took a red handkerchief out of her pocket and wrapped it around the handle of her mug so she wouldn't burn her hand and went to sit across from him.

"So, you and Ryan huh?" Eric smiled slightly, he should have known this was going to come up one way or the other. He supposed it couldn't hurt, they were waiting for test results to come back anyway. "Yeah, Ryan and I." Calleigh gave him a look. "I never thought you guys would get together." Eric smiled ruefully. "Yeah, we had some help along the way." "Help?" "Yeah, Ryan has this friend, Rowen, she's the one who got stabbed and she kept setting us up." Calleigh nodded and Eric frowned.

"Is something wrong?" The young woman shook her head. "No, nothing is wrong. I just didn't expect you guys to hook that's all, I'm a bit surprised." She smiled and he smiled back uncertainly. She was acting odd. "Calleigh, this doesn't bother you, does it?" She looked up and smiled widely. "Of course not." "Alright."

There was a minute of uncomfortable silence until their pagers went off. Mentally breathing a sign of relief that the tests were finally complete he got up and quickly headed to the labs, hearing Calleigh's footsteps behind him. He entered the DNA lab and immediately noticed Horatio talking to Valera. They turned around as he entered.

"And?" Eric asked, feeling his heart thump wildly in his chest. Horatio nodded to Valera. "I ran the tissue from underneath Rowen's fingernails and it turned up XX, female. I ran it through CODIS, but no hits. I ran the blood on her clothing and there was only one donor, Rowen. The hair you found in the bathroom is a match to the tissue from underneath Rowen's fingernails. The blood you found in the impression on the nightstand is Ryan's."

Eric nodded, his mind working on top speed. "I'm going to check on the fibbers I found." He quickly left for the trace lab. "Hey, man, you got anything of those fibbers?" The lab tech shook his head. "I'm afraid not, there just plain cotton." Eric sighed and left, heading for the lay-out room. He found Horatio there, looking over the crime photo's and the evidence laid out in front of him. "News on the fibbers?" The LT asked. "They're just plain cotton, there is nothing we can do with it." Horatio sighed.

"We know it's a woman, but could a woman really overpower Ryan?" Eric shook his head. "I don't think so. I think there is something wrong with our time line." Horatio nodded. "Alright, walk me through it."

"Well, we assumed that Rowen had been stabbed first, because the blood drops led up the stairs, but what if we were wrong? Rowen had the odd habit of showing up completely unannounced. She had a key and could get in at any given time. So it could be that she ran into the kidnapper."

"That means the kidnapper got into the house first and must have surprised Ryan." Horatio said, looking down into the photo's. "Alright. Somehow, the kidnapper got into the house and Ryan was in the bedroom, the kidnapper snuck up from behind and attacked Ryan, who fought back. But the attacker had a knife and assaulted Ryan. Then what?"

Eric frowned. "The sheets were torn, maybe she ripped them apart to tie Ryan up and then took him downstairs. That's when she ran into Rowen, Rowen tried to fight back and she stabbed her." Horatio nodded. "But then how do explain the bathroom and the blood drops?" Eric frowned. "Well, there was a body now and much more evidence. Maybe the kidnapper went back up stairs, to the bedroom to lead the blood drops in that direction, to make us think that Rowen indeed got stabbed first. Then when she passed the bathroom she decided to trash that too."

"It's a possible explanation, I mean whoever kidnapped Ryan must have known he was a criminalist." Eric nodded. "But if everything had worked out, then why smash the picture?" Horatio frowned in thought. "Maybe it's another red herring or it was broken in a fit off rage. If it was broken in a fit of rage, it must be someone who is against your relationship." Eric nodded, thinking deeply.

MEANWHILE

Ryan groaned and opened his eyes. He blinked the sleep out of his eyes and looked around. He was lying on a bed with soft blankets, sunlight streaming in through the windows, there was nothing in the room besides the bed he was lying on. He frowned and tried to remember how he got there. He could remember lying in what appeared to be the back of a car and he could remember praying that someone had found Rowen.

He stood and immediately sat back down again, a stinging pain in his right leg alarmed and he looked down. His jeans were torn and there was a white bandage around his leg. Taking a deep breath he stood up again and his eyes went to the windows, but he couldn't see anything that would make them open up. He walked towards it and knocked on the windows experimentally, hurricane glass, no way he was going to get through that. He sighed.

He searched the pockets of his jeans and his jacket, but everything was gone, his phone, his key, his gun, his badge, everything. He sighed and went to sit down in the bed. What the hell was he going to do? He rested his head in his hands and tried to calm himself down, felt the growing panic reach a maximum. He didn't hear the door open, nor did he hear the footsteps coming his way.

It wasn't until a shadow blocked the sunlight that he looked up and everything went black.

MEANWHILE

It was quiet and serene. There was a silent blur of colours yet sometimes a nothingness that, despite being nothing, was soothing and calm instead of frightening. It felt like home yet it felt like something was wrong. It felt like waking up yet it felt like going to sleep.

She'd floated around in bliss for a long time before she realized that she was doing nothing and that frightened her, because doing nothing wasn't like her at all. She tried to move and realized she couldn't, everything felt so heavy and moving would make everything shift and collapse and go off balance.

She frowned, she didn't like balance anyway, why should she be worried about that? She tried to concentrate and move her hand and felt very content when it moved slightly to the left. Now, if she could only open her eyes, because yes they were closed, then everything would be better. She blinked a couple of times, still feeling a heavy weight on her eyelids. When finally a white ceiling came into focus she turned her head to look around.

She was in a hospital room, she was sure of that and she frowned, what the hell happened?

Then everything came rushing back in a fury of movement, sound and colour. She almost cried out by the violence of her memories and then almost stopped breathing. "Ryan!" Her voice sounded raw to her own ears, but she wasn't concerned by that, looking around she groped for a call button. The nurse ambled in and smiled. "Oh, good you're awake, now we'll…"

But Rowen didn't let the poor woman finish. "Call Eric Delko from the Miami Dade Crime Lab. I need to talk to him." "Eric Delko, dear?" Rowen almost rolled her eyes and then decided to screw manners over and roll her eyes anyway. "Eric Delko, Horatio Caine, I don't care, call somebody of the Miami Dade Crime Lab. It's bloody urgent woman!"

TBC

St: boy is it difficult to write decent action and trying to get the evidence to be not too much revealing and yet sending off red hearings and at the same time making sure the evidence is correct. sigh I don't know how the writers of CSI: Miami do it


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own

Chapter 5

"Yes, all right, thank you." Horatio spoke into the phone. As soon as he hung up he approached Eric. He'd taken some distance from the lay out table when his phone had gone off. "Eric, that was the hospital, apparently Rowen is awake and she demanded she talked to someone off the crime lab. Now, listen to me, I want you to go back to the crime scene and check if we missed anything. I'll go and talk to Rowen." Eric hesitated, but Horatio gave him a look and the Cuban nodded. "Alright."

It didn't take long for Horatio to reach the hospital, he quickly parked the hummer and got out. He asked for Rowen Descamps' room and the nurse gave him directions. He approached the room and almost stopped dead in his tracks when he heard the loud music coming from inside. Stopping in front of the door he knocked. The music halted abruptly and a strong, female voice answered. "Come on in, the door is open, not like I could close it anyway, but, yeah, whatever."

Horatio hesitated for the first time in his life, but then opened the door. He was quite amazed at the small figure lying down on the bed. She was small, probably even shorter then Ryan, had light brown hair and was pale. He noticed a boombox sitting comfortably on her nightstand. "Miss Descamps?"

The woman wrinkled her nose in obvious disgust. "Call me Rowen, please. And I take it you're Horatio Caine? Ryan mentioned you were a red head." She grinned widely at him and Horatio couldn't resist raising an eyebrow at her. She raised one back at him. He pulled up a chair and sat down while he decided to speak up first. "Rowen, do you remember what happened?" Rowen sighed. "I remember a bit, but not that much. I remember that Ryan had his day off and I bullied him into seeing a movie with me."

"I left after that, because I got an emergency call, one of my patients was sick. I went back to Ryan's place when I was finished and… I can remember seeing a red hummer in Ryan's drive way that I didn't recognize. I got inside, I used my key, I remember making it to the living room and then. I can remember seeing Ryan tied up with sheets and I know that Ryan and Eric aren't into that kinky stuff." The last statement was said with a grin. "So alarm bells went off in my head and then suddenly, I see a flash of blond hair and then there is this stabbing pain and a blur of red. That's all I can remember."

Horatio nodded. "Do you remember the license plate number off the red hummer?" Rowen shook her head. "I didn't think to check. Ryan's a CSI and he used to be a patrol cop, he's always careful, because he knows what might happen. Someone must have really surprised him to get him like that."

Horatio looked at her and she looked right back, scrutinizing him as much as he was scrutinizing her. "You don't remember anything else?" Rowen bit her lip. "There was this, ringing sound. As if a phone was going off somewhere, I think it was upstairs." She licked her lip. "Also, the sound of breaking glass."

Horatio regarded her with his piercing blue eyes and noticed she was wringing the sheets in her hand. "Have you got any idea where Ryan is? Or what happened to him?" He reached out and laid his hand on top of hers. "We'll find him." Her bottom lip quivered. "Lieutenant, Ryan is the only one I have left. He's not related by blood but I love him as if was my brother. You need to find him." "I will, I promise."

He could see the doubt in her eyes as she gave him an odd smile. "No offence or anything, but you're not really in a position to promise me anything. But I appreciate the gesture." He blinked at her and Rowen grinned. "Eric didn't warn you about me, did he?" Horatio chuckled and shook his head. "Not quite."

Rowen grinned. "Yeah, the first time Eric and I met I shocked him speechless and embarrassed Ryan to death…. You will find him won't you?" "I'll do my best." "From what I've heard, your best is more then enough."

---------

Eric sighed when he came out of Ryan's place with nothing. He'd gone over the entire house and hadn't found anything. Stepping up the garden path he made for his car, but stopped mid-way. He noticed a lose stone in the pathway and squatted down to take a better look at it. He grabbed a hold of his flashlight, seeing as the sky was definitely a few shades darker then when he came in. A feeling in his gut warned him and he quickly snapped a few pictures. He took the stone in his hand and it pulled away, inside it revealed a small space with one red fibber. Not yet knowing what the significance of this could be, he quickly snapped a few pictures and bagged the fibber and decided then to bag the stone too.

He stood again and approached the hummer, putting away the evidence bags he looked over at the house again. Sighing he got in the hummer and drove to the lab. He met up with Horatio in the lay-out room. "And, what did Rowen say?" He asked as he entered. Horatio looked up. "She couldn't remember much. The only thing she remembered was seeing a red hummer on Ryan's driveway before she came in, she was stabbed then. She saw a blur of red and a flash of blond hair. She could remember a phone ringing and thought it came from upstairs. She could also remember the sound of glass breaking."

Horatio looked at the photo's. "Well that supports our time line. The attacker came in first and they struggled in the bedroom. She tied up Ryan and got him downstairs, enter Rowen, who gets stabbed. The attacker smashed the frame and then heard Ryan's phone go off upstairs. Still holding the knife she goes to the bedroom to get the phone, creating the blood drops. The only thing we can't explain is the bathroom. And the circular puncture wholes, the imprint you got in the front yard indicates stiletto heels. But there are two rows of two circular holes. Which indicates one trip to and back, if she doubled there would have been eight."

"Maybe Ryan freed himself and tried to go after her." Eric said. Horatio shook his head. "Why didn't he just call for help? Why risk being overpowered once again, after all she had a weapon and he didn't, besides we have reason to believe he sustained an injury." Horatio sighed. "Did you find anything at the crime scene?"

"I might have found the way the attacker got in?" "Really?" "Yeah, I just have to make a phone call." Eric pulled out his cell phone and dialled the number of Desert Palms. "Hello, this is Eric Delko off the Miami Dade Crime Lab, I need to talk to Rowen Descamps, could you please connect me to her room? Sure I'll hold."

There was silence for a few minutes.

"Hey, Rowen, did Ryan keep a spare key outside his house somewhere? In case he forgot he key." Horatio could hear Eric chuckle at a comment Rowen made. "Yeah? Thanks a lot. Yes, I'm doing everything I can, alright bye."

"When I left Ryan's place I noticed there was a stone loose in the pathway. I lifted it up and found another red fibber. Rowen says Ryan kept a spare key underneath a loose stone in the pathway." Horatio nodded in understanding. "So however attacked knew where the key was."

Eric looked back at the crime photo's. "They must have been keeping on eye on Ryan and must have seen him check if it was still there because I've never seen Ryan forget his keys once. Or maybe she saw Rowen use it when she forgot her key."

The Cuban sighed. "So we've got female DNA, blond hair, red fibbers, stiletto heels, hatred towards the relationship between Ryan and I, a red hummer and observations bordering on stalking." Eric's eyes widened and he looked back at the crime photo's. "Eric?" Came Horatio's concerned voice.

The younger man looked up at his boss and an expression of determination and anger settled across his features. "I think I know who did it."

MEANWHILE

Ryan bit back his groan this time, feeling that waking up with disconcerted memories was becoming quite the habit. He opened his eyes, blinking heavily. He sat up straight and the first thing he noticed was that he was wearing not as many clothes as he could remember wearing before being knocked out. His pants were nowhere in sight and neither was his jacket. He was left in his boxers and his shirt. Oh, and of course he didn't forget the bandage around his leg.

Tearing his attention away from the disappearance of his clothing he looked around and noticed that he was still in the same room as before, only know there wasn't any sunlight anymore because it was dark outside. The light came from a small light bulb hanging of the ceiling.

He took in the room and felt lost, his earlier excursion had taught him that he couldn't escape through the windows. His eyes wandered to the door and he wondered if he could maybe hide behind it and spring on his attacker when they came in. Or maybe that was the way he could escape, force the door open or something.

Deciding that it was definitely worth a shot he tried to stand but stumbled and almost fell face first on the floor. He turned around to look at what caused him to stumble. His eyes widened when he realized his left ankle was chained to the bedpost with thick, heavy chackles. He crawled towards the shackles and studied them. There was a chain on the shackle, allowing Ryan to move around and by the length he guessed he could just walk around the bed and to a window, but nowhere near to the door. There was no way he was going to get them off the bed post or off of his ankle. He sighed, it looked like he was stuck in here.

After getting back on the bed he wondered how much time had passed and if Eric and Horatio had any idea where he was yet. He wondered if Rowen was alright, if they'd found her on time and he could feel his chest constrict painfully when he thought of his friend.

This time, he did hear the door open and he looked up. The woman standing in the doorway entered and locked the door behind her. She pulled out a red handkerchief and wiped her hands with it. Her blond hair hung around her waist and she smiled at the man chained to the bed. "Hello Ryan." "Hello Calleigh."

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own

Chapter 6

Horatio spun on his heel. "You know who did it?" "Erica Sikes." Horatio raised an eyebrow at the Cuban. "Erica Sikes?" Eric nodded. "According to Rowen Erica has had a thing for Ryan since forever. Erica also saw Ryan and I kiss once and there was practically steam coming out of ears when Rowen made a comment about it later. When I left the crime scene the first time, I saw her in a red dress with stiletto heels. She has blond hair and a red hummer."

Horatio nodded. "Alright, lets bring her in." "H, can't we just…." "No, Eric, we have to do this by the book, especially because there is a police officer involved. We're going to bring her in and question her."

Eric sighed and rubbed his eyes tiredly. "Eric, why don't go home and get some rest for an hour or two. This interrogation might take a while, you know how stubborn Erica Sikes can be. I'll call you if there is anything important.

Eric shook his head. "No, H, I can't stand the thought of sleeping, knowing that Ryan is out there somewhere waiting for us to find him. I need him by my side, Horatio. I can't just go to sleep." The older man squeezed Eric's shoulder. "Then why don't you go visit Rowen in the hospital? I'm sure she would love the company."

Eric smiled at his boss. "She's something else isn't she?" The older man smiled lightly. "Yes she is." "Alright, I'm going to go and see her, but if there is anything you will call me immediately, won't you?" "Of course, Eric."

interrogation room

"So, miss Sikes, according to a reliable source you've always had the quite the crush on officer Wolfe." Frank Tripp said as he sat down in front of the pretty reporter. Erica Sikes gave him a disdainful look. "I haven't been shy about my interest in him, but that's it." "Miss Sikes, we have reason to believe that you're the one responsible for Ryan's disappearance." Horatio said, his hands on his hips and his eyes boring into Erica's.

The young woman looked shocked and then squared her shoulders. "Oh yeah? Won't that be an interesting story? Reporter accused of kidnapping." "Miss Sikes I don't think you understand the seriousness of the situation." Erica gave him an impatient look. "Listen, I don't care if you've got me buried underneath evidence. I didn't take Ryan. Yeah, I'm crazy about him, yeah, I was really pissed when he hooked up with Delko instead of with me. But I wouldn't hurt him."

"There were red fibbers found at the scene and obvious prints of stiletto heels." He gave her a piercing look and then looked her up and down, addressing her attire. The young woman glared at him. "I don't care what you think Lieutenant, I didn't take Ryan." "A witness spotted a red hummer near Ryan's place of residence a few moments before the attack. You have a red hummer don't you?" "Mine was stolen over a week ago, I filed a rapport." Horatio shot Frank a look and the detective immediately left to check the story.

"Erica, did you take Ryan?" The young woman looked at him. "Look, Horatio, I know I haven't been exactly the model citizens and I know I've caused a lot of grief to your lab and to your CSI. But I wouldn't stoop as low as to kidnap Ryan just because I wanted him." "Then you wouldn't mind giving us a sample of your DNA to make sure?" Horatio countered, studying the woman intently.

Erica gave him a look. "Why in the world would I want to give you my DNA?" "There was a victim who scratched the attacker and we found tissue underneath the victim's fingernails. We could compare it with your DNA and if you didn't do it, that would rule you out as a suspect." Eric seemed to hesitate but nodded her consent. "Alright."

Rowen's hospital room

Rowen leaned back against the pillows. "Thanks for fluffing them for me, Eric." The Cuban grinned. "Don't worry about it." Rowen smiled. "So, I know you're not supposed to discuss the case with me and everything, but… you got anyone yet?" Eric leaned forward conspiratorially. "Horatio and Tripp are questioning Erica Sikes now and probably asking for a DNA sample." Rowen's eyes widened. "You think Erica Sikes did this?"

Eric shrugged. "It's one of the possibilities, I mean all the evidence we have points to Erica , but it's entirely circumstantial. We can only be sure after the DNA test." Rowen nodded. "But at the mean time we still don't have any idea where Ryan is, right?" Eric shook his head. "No, we don't."

"Where did you get that boombox?" Eric asked, indicating the monstrosity resting on Rowen's nightstand. "Nicked it from the nurse's station." Rowen answered, smiling broadly. "Aren't they going to want it back soon?" Rowen shrugged. "If they want it they'll come and get it." Eric chuckled and shifted nervously in his seat. Rowen smiled and took his hand in his. "I have every confidence that you'll find him. Ryan always speaks so highly of you, Horatio and Calleigh."

Eric smiled. "Thanks." A feeling of unease settled in his stomach though, there was something wrong about that statement, if only he could figure out what. Just as he was mulling it over in his head his phone rang. He immediately answered it. "Delko." "Eric, it's Horatio, I want you to come back to the lab." "Alright." He hung up.

"And?" Rowen asked, leaning forward. Eric shrugged. "I don't know." The Cuban stood and gave Rowen a kiss on the cheek. "I'll call you as soon as I know anything alright." He quickly left the hospital and made his way to the crime lab.

He found Horatio in the look out room. "You called?" Horatio nodded. "Yeah, it's not Erica Sikes, the DNA didn't match." Eric resisted the urge to swear loudly. He did settle for a groan however. Horatio turned to look at the evidence. "There is something were missing here. We've used all the evidence to their full extent, except … the fibbers, there has to be something useful about the fibbers."

Eric shrugged. "There is nothing special, they could be off anything. A red dress, a red shirt, a red skirt… a red handkerchief." Eric said slowly and suddenly his eyes widened because he realized what bothered him about Rowen's statement.

_Ryan always speaks so highly of you, Horatio and Calleigh._

"H, where is Calleigh?"

Horatio's head snapped up and Eric could see the gears turning in his head. And then Eric shot off from the lay out room, running through the halls towards the DNA lab. Eric entered the DNA lab panting for air. "Valera, did you run that DNA from underneath Rowen's fingernails through the department employee database?" Valera shook her head. "No, I didn't."

Horatio came up behind Eric. "Run the sample through the database, Valera."

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own

Chapter 7

Ryan looked at the woman in front of him, she was dressed in a white top with a black skirt, her blond hair falling over her shoulders and her dazzling smile in place. She sat down on the bed next to him and reached up to flatten some strands of his hair. "I liked it better when it was long." She said, murmuring softly. Ryan didn't say anything, just kept looking at her.

For a minute he wondered how she'd gone from sweet, gentle yet professional and balanced Calleigh to a crazy and deranged Calleigh. Maybe it had happened during Hagen's death? Or did her father's drinking problem suddenly drove her bonkers? A split second later Ryan decided he didn't really care.

She was still smiling, obviously expecting him to say something, so he did. "Where did you get that?" He said, pointing at the scratch marks on her right shoulder. Calleigh frowned. "Your little friend gave it to me." "Rowen? Do you know if she's alright?" Immediately he knew he'd asked the wrong thing, Calleigh wasn't smiling anymore. "She's fine, they're still waiting for her to wake up, I think. I'm not sure." Her voice had gone from the soft and gentle tone to cold and harsh and Ryan winced.

When she saw it she immediately softened again. "Oh, I'm sorry baby, I didn't mean to be harsh with you."

_You're so beautiful, baby, if only you could see how beautiful you are._

Eric's voice flashed through his head and he had to push down the bile rising at the back of his throat when he thought about Calleigh calling him baby. But Calleigh was still smiling and Ryan decided that a smiling Calleigh was a good Calleigh. He smiled back at her and Calleigh's smile grew if that was even possible.

She didn't look armed, Ryan concluded, she didn't have anything with her and it wasn't like she had pockets somewhere in that outfit, it should be relatively easy to overpower her. But it seemed that she knew what he was thinking because she laid her hand on his cheek and forced him to look at her. "I wouldn't try it if I were you baby." And suddenly her lips were on his and Ryan froze in shock.

Calleigh pulled back then and ran her hand through his hair. "Why, Calleigh?" "Why what?" She asked, her voice and figure the embodiment of innocence. "Why this?" Calleigh sighed. "I knew you were going to ask that." She turned to him and started to undo the buttons on his shirt, parting the fabric she forced him downwards on the bed and then snuggled up next to him, placing her head over his heart and drawing figures over his chest.

"I don't understand it Ryan. When you came at the crime lab, I was one of the few who was nice to you, I was kind to you, I liked you, I stood up for you when they called you a replacement. And yet you never asked me out, never. Then I saw you with that girl, Rowen, in the parking lot and she was hugging you and I thought she might be your girlfriend and that hurt Ryan, really."

"But then the next day I heard you and Delko talk about her and I remember you telling him that Rowen was just your best friend. You won't believe how happy I was when I found out Ryan, I could live with Rowen being your best friend, as long as you were mine."

"But then… I don't think you saw me that day, I don't think any of you did. I wasn't standing to far away and I noticed you talking to Erica Sikes and Rowen and Eric talking near the Starbucks stand. And when you joined Rowen and Eric at the coffee standI thought I should approach you guys but when I did suddenly Eric kissed you and you didn't seem to mind in the least."

"All my hopes were dashed after that, Ryan. But then you and Eric were beginning to get so angry with each other and I thought that maybe this time you would see me. But you didn't." Suddenly she sat up straight and straddled him, her eyes shooting fire. "You couldn't see me because you kept pining after the one man who resented you more then anything on this earth."

"Don't you get it Ryan? He could never love you the way I love you. He hates you, he hates you for replacing Speed, he hates you for being who you are. He doesn't love you, not like I do." "That's not true! Eric does care about me!"

The sound of flesh on flesh resonated through the air and Ryan's head was snapped back against the sheets, the sting on his cheek burning from Calleigh's slap. "Oh, baby, I'm so sorry, are you alright?" Ryan nodded and looked up at her, stunned at how such a small person could be so strong. Calleigh bit her lip. "Oh, my hand is imprinted on your cheek." She reached out with her hand softly stroked the red cheek.

"I'm so sorry." She said, bending forward slightly. "Forgive me?" Ryan nodded, not wanting to risk another slap. She kissed him again, just an innocent press of lips on lips. Ryan remembered the way Eric's lips felt against, how Eric's hard and strong body pressed his own down. And then he felt Calleigh's soft and curved body laid on top of his and he pulled back and shoved her off violently. He tried to scramble off the bed but had forgotten that he was chained to it and fell on his face. "Fuck!"

He was breathing heavily and he really, really didn't want to get up but he could hear Calleigh scrambling to her feet and he quickly did the same, this time keeping one eye on the shackles. Calleigh looked at him angrily. "I wouldn't do that in the future you know." "Who says there is going to be a future? They'll find me, I know they will."

Calleigh shook her head. "Poor Ryan, they're never going to find you. You see, I had it all planned out. I've been planning this for weeks, I just had to wait until you had the day off." She smiled sweetly.

"I stole Erica's truck a week ago and I parked it at your place when I came to get you. I brought stiletto heels with me and my red handkerchief, because you see, Erica always wears stiletto and she has this catching red and white dress she loves to wear. So I picked up the loose stone on the path way and picked up the key, making sure to leave a red fibber behind before placing the stone back in place."

"I came in and I could hear you rummaging around in the bedroom so I came up behind you. I had my butcher's knife with me, I wanted to be sure they couldn't link it to me because if I would kill someone don't you think I would use my beloved guns? We had our little fight and when it was over and you had that cut on your leg I quickly wrapped it with a bed sheet and used the others to tie you up."

"I went to the cracked glass and left behind a few other fibbers and then dragged you down the stairs. But suddenly there was that girlfriend of yours, but I took care of that. She didn't see me baby. I knocked you unconscious and placed you in the red hummer. I then used the stiletto heels to make four indentations and form a path from Rowen to the bathroom and the bedroom and the doorway. I made sure to hold the knife straight down as I dropped her blood next to the indentations in the carpet, that way they would think Rowen was attacked first."

"I messed up your bathroom, just to give more evidence of a struggle and left behind a few red fibbers. I have to admit that's when I made my first mistake, I left behind a hair. But that's okay, one stray hair can be easily explained away. I came back down and that's when I saw the picture, the one I assume Rowen took, of you and Eric. I knew Erica had a crush on you, that's why I was setting her up, she had the perfect motive, jealousy. So I smashed it, satisfying myself and helping Erica on her way to jail."

"I made sure to leave an indentation in the front yard so they couldn't look passed the stiletto's and left, making sure to leave the door open. I was called to the scene because Eric called it and obviously Eric told Horatio the two of you were together. But I couldn't believe my ears when he told Eric to gather evidence from Rowen's person. I was sure I was going to have to do that, being a woman and all. That way I could make any evidence of her scratching me disappear."

"Back in the lab they matched the hair to the tissue underneath Rowen's fingernails and it was a match, Valera run it through CODIS, but there wasn't a match, she just didn't think to run it through the employee database. So I was safe. Because even though Erica's DNA wouldn't match the tissue nor the hair, that could be explained away since the other evidence is overpowering, circumstantial yes, but people have been convicted with less. Of course, Erica would never reveal where you were and when they couldn't find you … well, another team mate lost."

Ryan stared at her. "And what you're just going to keep me here as your private sex toy?" Calleigh giggled. "I wouldn't quite put it like that." She made a step forward and Ryan made a step backwards, trying to get as far away from her as the shackles would allow would allow. "I love you, Ryan, and I can't keep watching how you much in love you are with Eric. He's a womanizer, he'll leave you for another pretty club girl. Here you'll be safe from him and we'll be together." Ryan stared at her and he tried to put another step between them when she made for one forward. She kept approaching him until they were nose to nose.

"They're not going to find you, Ryan, you should just give it up."

TBC

St: I have two things to stay in Calleigh's defence.

1) Ryan's hotness has driven her loony toones

2) It's my story, I made her snap


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own

St: thank you all for the lovely feedback! It was wonderful, I checked my mail and there were sixteen reviews! It made me feel so good I started writing immediately

Chapter 8

Calleigh's apartment was empty when they got there. The place screamed Calleigh, the colours were soft and there were whole cupboards filled with books on guns. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary and Horatio shook his head. "I don't think we're going to find anything, Calleigh is a CSI, and a damn good one. She knows what we look for and in result knows how to hide or destroy evidence." Eric shrugged. "I don't know H, maybe she's so sure we'll never suspect her that she feels safe enough to keep something lying around."

But despite Eric's encouraging words they found nothing. "All right, we didn't really expect to find anything, but we had to check anyway. I'm going to call Tripp and see if he got any further news on Calleigh's financial records. Eric, I want you to go the hospital and tell Rowen what we know, I'll call you up as soon as I know anything more." Eric nodded. "Alright H."

The red head left quickly, already talking rapidly on the phone. Left alone in Calleigh's apartment Eric looked around and sighed. How could his friend do this? He had considered Calleigh as one of his best friends, as one of the few people he trusted completely. Feeling his spirits sink even lower he headed for the door, knowing a visit to Rowen would do him some good.

Right before he closed the door behind him he looked around one more time and in his heart he said goodbye to the Calleigh he had known and loved.

MEANWHILE

Calleigh pouted when Ryan tried to shift further away from her. "I don't know why you continue to fight this, Ryan. You're never going to get out and you don't have a choice, you might as well enjoy it." Her hand ran over his chest appreciatively and Ryan shuddered, trying to step away further, only to lose his footing and go sprawling on his back on the floor.

Calleigh towered over him and smiled. She straddled him and brushed some his hair back. "I think I'm going to let you grow it out for a while." She said, biting her lip in thought and then she smiled and leaned forward, brushing her lips against his. Ryan's mind worked at top speed trying to come up with anything to keep her from doing whatever she planned to do.

He wrenched his head back. "Aren't they going to miss you at the crime lab?" Calleigh pulled back and frowned. "Hmm, they might, but then I'll just say I went home to pick something up and I couldn't resists lying down for five minutes and I must have fallen asleep, after all I've been working myself into a fit because of my concern over you."

Her voice had taken on a soft, sweet edge to it and she thickened her accent just a little bit and for a minute she seemed like the Calleigh he'd cared about so much in the crime lab. But then she smiled that sickly sweet smile of hers and the memory was cut short abruptly. "Why don't we move to the bed? It'll be much more comfortable up there."

Ryan could feel the panic growing in his chest. What exactly did she want him to do? She didn't think he'd actually… She wouldn't force him would she? At the moment he really wasn't sure of anything anymore.

meanwhile in Rowen's hospital room

"Calleigh? It was Calleigh?" Rowen's voice was loud and had a slight hysterical edge to it. "Yes, it was Calleigh." Eric said, trying to calm her. "I know I've never met her, but Ryan said she was so… nice." Rowen said, slumping down onto her pillows. "Yeah, I know." Eric said, his hand squeezed Rowen's and the young woman smiled tiredly.

"And do you guys have any idea where Ryan is now?" Eric shook his head. "Not yet, but we're checking Calleigh's financial records, maybe she's renting a second apartment or something. I mean, she had everything so very well covered that I think she didn't expect us to catch up on her. It's possible that everything is much more easier from now on." Rowen nodded in understanding.

"So, you guys will find Ryan for sure?" Eric nodded, knowing that he would never stop searching until he'd found his lover. "Alright then, that's good news. You know, for a minute there I was really convinced it was Erica Sikes." Eric nodded. "Yeah, you know it was actually with your help that I found out about Calleigh." Rowen blinked at him. "Really?"

Eric nodded. "Yeah, Horatio and I were discussing the red fibers and I said it could be anything and I started summoning up examples. And I said a red handkerchief and I remembered Calleigh using a red handkerchief to hold her coffee cup because it was too hot. Then I remember that you said that Ryan always spoke so highly of me, Horatio and Calleigh. The comment hadn't sit right with me from the start but I couldn't put my finger on why. Then I realized I hadn't seen Calleigh in hours, this was an important case, one of our own was missing and she had just left. And I could feel my gut telling me I was right."

Rowen nodded. "Wow, maybe I should consider a career change?" Eric grinned. "And come work in the lab with us? Well, it would make things interesting." "Yeah, with my background in medicine I should be able to follow a coroner's course or something." "I think you'd make a lot of people afraid to go into autopsy for more then just the corpse."

"No, it would be great, Ryan, you and I could work on the same cases and then you guys could come down and visit me in autopsy. I could even work along side with Alexx." Eric groaned. "Why did I open my big mouth?" "I don't know, but people always tell me everything. It's a gift." Rowen said, grinning widely.

MEANWHILE

Ryan stood straight stubbornly, refusing to lie down on the bed. He could see the frustration building behind Calleigh's eyes and the anger in the way she clenched her jaw. "Listen Ryan, you can't live like a celibate for the rest of your life, so lets just get this over with."

Ryan's eyes widened and he did another step back. "I'm not doing anything." Suddenly Calleigh was in front of him and she smacked him, unprepared for the force off the blow he fell to the ground. "They're not going to find you Ryan! Get it through your thick skull! There will be only me, only me!"

Ryan glared up at her. "No, there will be only Eric." He could see the rage explode in her eyes before she straddled him and slapped him violently. "Don't you say that!" Ryan breathed heavily, the sting of her slaps painful. She cupped his face lovingly and Ryan decided that she could change moods faster then Rowen with PMS.

Her thumb stroked his cheek and she kissed him, soft and gentle, trying to get Ryan to be assertive, but he kept his lips together stiffly. She pulled back and yanked on his hair. "Stop it Ryan! Eric's not going to save you, he's not going to find you, he's not even trying. He's going to leave you here with me!"

She was shouting now, her voice resounding through the air and Ryan thought he could faintly hear an echo and the thought was so absurd that he almost laughed, almost.

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own

Chapter 9

"So we have no idea where she's keeping him?" Eric asked, feeling his anger bubbling to the surface. Horatio nodded. "Calleigh's financial records didn't show anything, nor did her phone records." Eric stared at his boss, shock, anger and helplessness fighting fore the surface. "But…" Horatio laid a hand on Eric's shoulder. "Look, Eric, she doesn't know we know about her, so we're going to pretend we don't know when she comes in tomorrow. We'll try to follow her to Ryan after shift."

Eric stared at his boss. "But, that is going to take another 24 hours! What if she kills him?" Horatio gave him a look. "Do you honestly think Calleigh is going to kill Ryan? I think she's taken him for a whole different reason." Eric stared at him. "For what?" Horatio gave him another look. "Do you remember the smashed photograph? I think she hates your relationship because she's in love with of you, and I think it's Ryan."

Eric stared at his boss in shock, but Horatio merely continued. "She's been kind and welcoming to him since the start and hasn't changed after that." Eric sighed and slumped down in his chair. "Another 24 hours." Horatio squeezed Eric's shoulder. "I'm sorry, but at the moment it's the only thing you can do. Why don't you go home Eric, get some sleep, you're going to need it for tomorrow." "Alright H." The way Eric didn't struggle against Horatio's suggestion proved how tired the young man really was. The Cuban rose to his feet and was about to leave the lay out room when Horatio called him back.

"And Eric? Try not to strangle her when she comes in tomorrow."

MEANWHILE

The last couple of hours had been hell on him, he'd avoided her as much as he could, but seeing as he had nowhere to go that didn't go well. She'd left the room then, probably tired of his constant avoidance. She'd come back after that, gun in hand.

At the moment Calleigh was in the bed, sleeping peacefully while Ryan was leaning against the wall. He'd buttoned up his shirt again as soon as she'd fallen asleep. She'd try to force him to come to bed with her, but he'd refused. She's snapped and dug her nails into his arms but he hadn't relented. She'd resigned to his decision then, saying that he would come around soon enough, because otherwise he'd have to sleep on the floor for the rest of his life.

At the moment he regretted his decision because he was getting tired. Sinking to the floor he tugged on the chain once again, it had become a habit, tugging on the chain as if by some miracle it would suddenly snap and give him freedom. He wasn't looking forward the rest of the night.

He looked at the bed and the small figure sleeping on it, he considered attacking her now, but he had no weapon and she'd already shown him she was sleeping with a gun under her pillow. So attacking her wasn't an option, he knew far too well how dangerous she was with a gun. Slowly he could feel himself nodding off, he knew he was going to be stiff in the morning, the position was really uncomfortable but he really didn't feel like moving and sleep was closing in on him.

He snapped his head up every time he felt himself nod off. He didn't want to go sleep, wasn't sure it was safe with Calleigh. But in the end he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

MEANWHILE

Eric entered his apartment and sighed, he hadn't actually slept here since Ryan and him had gotten back together a few months ago. The crime scene hadn't been cleared yet, but even if it had been, and the damage to the bedroom or bathroom hadn't been so severe, he wouldn't have slept there. He didn't think he could handle sleeping in that bed without knowing Ryan was safe. He didn't think he could handle sleeping without Ryan was safe. He didn't think he could handle sleeping without Ryan period.

He flopped down on the couch and stared at the blank tv-screen. He could feel the despair in his heart rising and he wondered if he could ever continue on living without Ryan. He'd had a taste of life with Ryan and he couldn't imagine living his life any other way. He leaned his head back and groaned. He just wanted Ryan back.

Rapid knocking on the door startled him and he stared at the door for a few minutes. "Eric?" Rowen's voice sounded from the other side. Eric smiled slightly and went to open the door. Rowen was dressed in black jeans, a soft green t-shirt with a black back pack slung over her shoulder. "Hey, come on in." Eric said, opening the door wider and stepping back so she could pass. She did so with a smile. "Hey, Eric."

He closed the door and turned around. He watched her take in his apartment, look around with curious eyes and he smiled. She hadn't actually been in his apartment before and it was obvious she was dying to explore. But instead of giving in to her desire she sat down on the couch, resting her elbows on her knees. "I had to get my mind of Ryan, so I came here." Her voice was soft and she avoided looking him in the eye.

Eric sat down next to her and smiled, trying to push away his anxiety over Ryan. "So they let you out of the hospital?" Rowen grinned. "Yeah, a little blackmail works miracles." "Blackmail?" "It was letting me leave or I was never going to give that boombox back." Eric chuckled and leaned back. "I think they just wanted to get rid of you."

She could feel him slap his shoulder. "And just for that comment I'm going to have a look around." Eric watched her move around for a minute before lying back, his lack of sleep finally catching up on him. "Oooh, what's this?" Eric's head snapped up and settled on the photo-album in Rowen's hands. Alarm bells went off in Eric's head and he lunged for it. But Rowen merely stepped aside.

"Embarrassing baby pictures!" She said, smiling. "Ooh! Just wait until I get to show Ryan." The alarm bells in Eric's head became louder and he lunged for her again. She quickly ran to the other side of the table. "Rowen, you give me that picture album right now." She cackled loudly. "Why don't you make me?" "You do know how immature that sounds right?" "Of course." They were both grinning at each other and Rowen cackled. "You're never going to get this back." Eric glared at her. "I am not going to let you show that to Ryan." Rowen smirked. "I'll tell you what, I'll give you a chance to win this back."

Two hours later and Eric knew he was never going to get his album back. "I'm creaming you." Rowen said happily, moving her pawn over the monopoly board. Eric sighed. "How did you get so good at this?" Rowen grinned. "Years and years of practice. Ryan and I have played it together since we were still in high school. We used to get together on Wednesday afternoons and play monopoly." Eric smiled. "Let me guess, you kicked his ass too."

Rowen smirked. "You bet."

They played until Eric went bankrupt and then started to clean up. Rowen put the monopoly game back in her back pack. She stood facing the wall for a while. "Eric?" "Hmm?" "What if we don't get him back?" The question caught Eric off guard, just like Rowen's tone of voice. She sounded scared and unsure and Eric couldn't remember ever hearing her like that before.

He walked up to her and rested his hand on her shoulder. "We'll get him back." "But what if we don't?" She turned around and she looked distraught. "What if we don't get him back Eric? What if we have to go on without him? I can't do that, he's the family I've never had, he's always been there for me when I needed him! How can I go on without him?"

Eric pulled her into his arms, feeling her small body shake. "I don't know, I really don't know."

TBC

St: well since my plotbunny has been working over time I now have three new stories that could be the sequel to this one, but you guys can choose which one goes first because I have no idea. I'll give you the title and a small description of what happens and you guys can tell me which one you want

Funky Purple: one of them gets hurt (Ryan, Eric or Rowen)

Shimmering Red: A Vegas Visit

Fluo Green: another conflict between Ryan and Eric due to a new presence


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not own

Chapter 10

"So you're still waiting for test results on Ryan's case?" Eric nodded, a pained smile on his face, resisting the urge to throttle her. "But I thought you'd already gotten the results?" Eric shook his head. "We're doing more trace on the red fibers, maybe they'll give us something." Calleigh sighed. "I wish we knew where he was, or had any idea who took him." Eric gritted his teeth and forced himself to sigh along with her. "Yeah, so do I. I mean, Erica turned out be a dead end."

Calleigh shook her head. "I don't understand it, everything fit perfectly. Who else could fill the profile besides Erica? According to Rowen she was the only one with a real grudge against your relationship." Calleigh said, leaning against the table top. Eric shrugged, feeling his insides churn. "I don't know either, Ryan didn't have any other friends besides us and Rowen, if he did I'm sure Rowen would have known and told us about it."

"So what are we doing while the tests are running?" She asked, turning around to face him. "Well, H wants us to catch up on paperwork while we wait. He said it wouldn't feel right to start new cases while Ryan is still missing, he wants our full attention on Ryan's case."

_Yeah, H wants to be sure you don't have any running cases when you're arrested. _

He hid his smirk at the thought.

MEANWHILE

Ryan was bored.

He wondered if it was possible that you could be bored while you were abducted. From everything he'd heard you were terrified and scared and desperate to get out. You went through living hell and couldn't sleep without the light on afterwards.

But he was just… bored.

He'd checked all his ways out ten times and there wasn't any possibility he would be getting out of there on his own strength. And the only piece of furniture in the entire room was the bed. Of course there was the door to the bathroom he'd discovered that morning, but there wasn't anything in there either except an electronic razor, a hairbrush, a toothbrush and some shampoo. The shower stall was solid glass and was impossible to break. Just like everything else in the room. There was nothing around. If he was going to spend the rest of his life in here he would have to ask Calleigh for a book or something next time she came.

He sighed and looked out the window. This was the most frustrating part, he could see all those people out there on the street, going about their business and there was this annoying thought in the back of his head that he was never going to get out there again. For a minute he wondered if all those people could see him, but decided that was a no-no. People didn't look up to look through other people's windows.

Well maybe people who didn't have a life off their own did, or insane stalkers maybe… but besides that he wasn't too sure.

Calleigh hadn't said a word to him that morning, just given him some breakfast, watched him eat it and then take the tray back, while making sure that everything she had put on the tray left the room again. It was impossible to sneak the knife of the tray. She'd just left him there and gone for work.

He sighed and looked up at the ceiling.

_What's taking them so long? Why haven't they found me yet? _

MEANWHILE

Eric sighed, this was getting painful. Calleigh was the same as she always was nice, friendly and because Ryan was kidnapped, worried. Every time she made a comment about the test results or when she expressed her worry he had to resist the urge to grab that long hair and…

He broke of that thought before it completely formed, he might actually act it out. Sighing again, he looked up and caught H's look through the glass. The red head smiled at him and then shot dark look at Calleigh, who couldn't see him because she had her back to the glass. Smiling at the red head Eric nodded, getting a small smile in return.

Eric supposed his anger was nothing compared to Alexx'. When they told her she nearly exploded and a pissed of Alexx is a force to be reckoned with. It was only after she calmed down they were able to tell her about the plan and how she needed to act normal. Alexx definitely deserved an Oscar for her acting. She was amazing.

Eric threw a glance at the clock and almost groaned, still three hours until the end of shift. The phone rang, startling both of them and Eric answered. "Eric Delko, Lay out room." "Hey, Eric, there is this girl down here, Rowen Descamps, she wants to talk to you." "Alright I'll be right there." He hung up and got of his seat. "I have to go, I'll be right back." He said when Calleigh shot him a questioning look.

He quickly made his way to the front desk, smiling when he saw Rowen. She was wearing sharp blue jeans and black tube top, her trusty pink sunglasses on the top of her head. "Hey Rowen." She smiled at him. "Hey, Eric." "What are you doing here?" "I wanted to see her."

Eric blinked, knowing immediately who she was referring to. He looked around for a minute and then pulled her to the side, where the receptionist couldn't hear them. "Why?" "Because I want to look her in the eye and see the woman who stabbed me and kidnapped my baby." Eric sighed. "You wouldn't be able to keep your hands off her, you'd flatten her in ten minutes." Rowen smirked. "Try seconds." Eric glared at her and she glared back.

"Rowen!" "Eric!" "Is there a problem?" Rowen looked over Eric's shoulder and Eric turned. Horatio was regarding them, his head cocked to the side slightly. "No!" "Yes!" Eric resisted the urge to turn around and glare at Rowen's persistence. "Eric, why don't you back to the lab and check on Calleigh." Eric nodded and after one more glance at Rowen, who smiled sheepishly, he left, smiling slightly.

"Rowen, why are you here?" Rowen glanced up at the red head. "I wanted see Calleigh." He cocked his head side ways, giving her a piercing stare, Rowen just raised an eyebrow. "Oh don't you give me that look. It won't work on me anyways. It just bounces right off." Horatio smiled slightly. "I'll take your word for it." She smiled at him and shook her head lightly. "You want me to leave?"

Horatio gave her another look. "I think that would be in the best interest." Rowen sighed. "I guess you're right. I just want to see her, I just want a face to go with the name." Horatio smiled softly. "I understand. But there will be time for that latter." She nodded, smiling wistfully. "Yeah, you're right. Thanks anyway. I'll see you around, Horatio." Horatio smiled. "Goodbye Rowen."

She waved at him one more time and stepped outside.

MEANWHILE

Ryan sat down on the bed, his backside hurting for sitting on the hard wooden floor the whole day. He sighed and leaned back against the pillows, closing his eyes. He hadn't gotten a lot of sleep during the night, torn between staying awake and sleeping in the most uncomfortable positions, anything to avoid sleeping in the bed with Calleigh.

It still didn't feel right when he thought about Calleigh stabbing Rowen and kidnapping him. She'd always been his friend, been the first one besides Horatio to accept him at the lab even though it must have been difficult for her. Somewhere he still thought about her as his friend and that hurt most of all.

A part of him wanted to believe that the last two days had been a dream and that Calleigh really hadn't done any of these things. He wanted to believe that so badly, even though that went against everything that made him a scientist because he'd seen with his own eyes the things she was capable off.

He could feel himself nodding off and didn't fight it, not this time. He knew that if he didn't catch up with his sleep he wouldn't able to stay awake that night and avoid Calleigh. So it was best if he got his sleep now. Yes, his already half sleep brain reasoned, there was no harm in catching up on his sleep right now.

He woke slowly, the sleep pulling away from his mind at an agonizing pace. He realized there was an additional weight on the bed as it dipped a bit to his right. He could feel a hand stroking through his hair and he forced himself to keep his breathing even and pretend he was still sleeping. He tried to evaluate the situation. Because of the weight on his leg he could say with a safe guess that the was still chained to the bed. The hand going through his hair was small, much to small to be anyone but Calleigh's.

So he was chained to a bed, lying on his bed with the woman who kidnapped him sitting next to him stroking his hair just waiting for him to wake up. Right.

There was no way he could get himself out of the situation by throwing himself at her because he didn't know if she was armed or not. Deciding on a course of action he slowly opened his eyes, blinking up at the ceiling. He then turned his head to look at his blond haired kidnapper. She smiled at him, her smile broad and gentle. Her hand was steady and never wavered and for a minute he wondered if she would continue like this the whole night.

But then she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his and he knew what she wanted. He tried to pull back but she leaned forward further and he could feel her gun pressing against her hip. He decided that it was probably in his best interest to respond.

He pressed back against her lips and Calleigh made an odd little satisfied sound in the back of her throat. Ryan raised himself up on his elbows and rested in his hands on her waist. Calleigh opened her mouth and he knew it was an invitation. He didn't want to take it but with the way she was pressing into him he didn't know if he had a choice or not. He moved forward, his tongue delving in and she moaned.

The sound brought back memories and Eric's face flashed passed behind his closed eyelids. He pulled back, gasping for air. Calleigh smiled and snuggled up to him. He could feel the bile rising in his throat, he pushed her off and ran to the bathroom, bending over the toilet. He emptied the contents of his stomach and after that was dry heaving. His body shuddered and while Calleigh tried to sooth him with rubbing circles over his back her touch only disgusted him further and made bend over further.

He stood again after a while, disoriented and breathing heavily. He leaned against the wall, trying to ignore Calleigh's touches and her concerned voice. And all of a sudden he hated her, he despised her. He wanted to go back home, wanted to go back home to Eric and maybe he'd hated her the moment he'd seen her stab Rowen and it only clicked in his head now but he knew for a fact he'd never hated anyone more then Calleigh Dusquense.

He raised his head and glared at her, wanted her to leave him alone. She seemed shocked at his expression and put a step back. But she seemed to get herself back in hand quickly because next thing he knew her hand smacked him across the cheek and damnit! Why did the woman have to go for the same cheek every damn time?

"I hate you Calleigh." His voice was much clearer then he thought it would be and his words certainly had the desired effect. Her eyes went wide and it looked like she wanted to hit him again. He braced himself for the upcoming blow, knew it was inevitable when a huge bam came from the other room. Calleigh's eyes went even wider and she turned on her heels and practically ran to the other room.

Ryan followed her and one thing caught his eye immediately. Eric was standing in the doorway pointing his gun straight at Calleigh with a few armed officers behind him. He felt it before he saw it, Calleigh's gun pressed against his temple. "Anyone moves and I'll shoot him, you understand?" Calleigh's voice had an edge hysteria to it and wasn't that just perfect?

He could see the fine tremble along her body and he realized that she would in fact shoot him. He never quite understood the entire 'If I can't have him, no one can' thing, but it seemed Calleigh did.

His eyes met Eric's for a split second and he recognized the decision resting in his lover's gaze. He nodded once and that was it. The gun went off and Ryan dove to the floor.

TBC

St: sorry it took me a while to update this last chapter, I've been kinda swamped in homework for the last few days and it doesn't seem like the load is going down and then the exams are coming up over here sigh but that's still a few weeks away so I'll probably still have a lot of writing in my schedule


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own

Chapter 11

Ryan felt the warm, calloused hand on his back and he could feel himself shaking violently. He didn't want to look up and find that he had imagined everything. He was breathing heavily and he could feel the tears building behind his eyelids. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to regulate his breathing. "Ryan?" He slowly opened his eyes and there was Eric.

His breath caught in his throat and suddenly he was pressed against the wall, Eric's weight leaning against him and Eric's mouth on his. One hand was on his hip and the other was in his hair, grasping at the strands. Ryan opened his mouth in invitation and Eric's tongue invaded him. He wrapped his arms around his lover, revelling in the strong form against his.

Eric's eyes landed on his lover. He quickly ran to him, wondering if he was hurt and placed his hand on his lover's back. The young man was trembling and his eyes were squeezed shut. "Ryan?" The young man opened his eyes and suddenly he couldn't breathe. Because Ryan was there breathing, alive, beautiful and unable to stop himself he reached for his lover, pressing him against the wall and kissing him senseless.

All the emotions, all the fear, the doubt, the pain that had gnawed on him the minute he'd seen Ryan's front door open, all the anger he'd suppressed, he'd hidden away to be able to do his job and find Ryan finally came out. His emotional wall crumbled and everything rushed to him in a flood of emotions.

He realized he was sobbing, but couldn't bare the thought of letting Ryan go, pressing his lips against the other man again and again, one hand on Ryan's hip and the other in his hair. He needed to assure himself that Ryan was real, was still here, was still alive and he could feel himself breaking down.

And then Ryan's arms were around him and he could feel Ryan's heart beating underneath his chest and he breathed a sigh of relief. Ryan was alright, they had survived this. They parted and Eric brushed away some of Ryan's hair, brushing against the soft skin. "I love you." He said and a tear escaped Ryan's eyes. "I love you too." They rested their foreheads together and breathed.

"Gentlemen?" The voice shattered the little world they'd wandered into. They parted and Eric turned to see Horatio, as sombre expression on his face. Eric let his eyes fall to the floor and he could feel the sadness constrict around his heart.

Calleigh was on the floor, her eyes staring at the ceiling unseeing. Her once shining blond hair was spread out and was tinged pink, the blood pool around her head dark and vindictive, like an evil halo. One of her pale hands still clutched the gun and the other lay open and empty. She had two gun wounds, one in the area of the heart and the other between her eyes.

Eric's eyes saddened, no matter what she had done he hadn't wanted her to end like this. He didn't know which shot was his and which was Horatio's but he didn't really need to. He could feel the darkness of Calleigh's blood on his hands and he took a shuddering breath. But then there was Ryan's hand on his shoulder and he took a deep breath, reminding himself why he had taken the risk to do this. He turned around and pulled Ryan into his arms, wanting something to hold on too.

Ryan pulled back and smiled at him slightly. "It's alright." Eric smiled back. "I know, I've got you."

The investigation into the shooting resulting into Calleigh's death was settled quickly. Eric's shot had entered through the chest and Horatio's through the head. But it didn't really matter, for once Stetler wasn't a jerk and decided that there hadn't been anything else they could do. The DA didn't prosecute so everything was fine. Well as fine as things could get when your best friend kidnapped your lover and then you shot said friend, Eric thought.

Ryan's hand wove through his and gave it a little squeeze as if he could read Eric's dark thoughts. They stood side by side with their heads held high, drawing strength from each other. The funeral was small. There weren't a lot of people and the casket was closed. Calleigh's father was present, tears racking through his form while he had his arms around Calleigh's mother who was shaking with hysteric tears. Calleigh's brothers were silent, standing side by side.

Horatio was present as well, his hands clasped in front of him, staring at the casket with dark eyes. Marisol was standing next to him and she took on of Horatio's hands in his and squeezed it gently. The red head looked down at the smaller woman and smiled softly, she smiled back.

He lifted his head and looked at the two young men standing side by side. Ryan seemed sad beyond words, sorrow was etched into every line of his body. He had been hurt by what Calleigh had done to him, he had hated her with a passion the day she had died. But he had loved her as a friend once and all the good memories he had of the blond haired woman laced his every breath with regret at the way things turned out.

Eric was standing strong, his hand let go of Ryan's and he wrapped his arms around the younger man's waist instead, pulling the other man closer. Ryan responded by burrowing closer into Eric's warm form and resting his head on his shoulder. The Cuban seemed sad that Calleigh had died but didn't seem to regret his decision to fire his gun and Horatio knew that was a good thing. The Cuban couldn't blame himself for what happened. Both shots would have killed Calleigh instantly and Alexx hadn't been able to determine which one had killed her.

Alexx was present too, standing next to Eric, her head held high much like on Speed's funeral. She'd done Calleigh's autopsy but she'd done it with decidedly less tears then Speed's. The woman would probably miss the great friend Calleigh had been, but wouldn't regret the choices Eric and Horatio had made.

The last one present was Rowen. She was standing next to Ryan, her arms crossed in front of her chest. She was wearing a black skirt with a white top and a black jacket. Horatio didn't quite know what to make of her expression. It was closed of and blank. She stood tall, taller then Horatio remembered and her jaw was clenched.

The young woman had embraced Ryan as soon as she'd seen, tears of relief streaming down her face. Ryan had hugged her to him firmly, squeezing her in his arms. They 'd parted and Ryan had whipped away her tears with his hand and smiling gently. Rowen had smiled back and hugged him again.

She'd then hugged Eric just as firmly, the Cuban had laughed and hugged her back. And then, to everyone's shock Rowen had hugged Horatio too. She didn't even seem to think about it when she stepped past Eric and enveloped Horatio into a hug. He hugged her back, earnestly, surprised but earnestly. He'd heard Ryan snicker faintly and the reaction had been so unusual for the younger man he'd smiled broadly at his young charge.

Ryan had promptly blushed red and Rowen had smacked him on the arm, teasing him about how red he'd gotten.

Rowen turned her head and caught Horatio's eyes and when she smiled at him, he smiled back slightly. She mouthed 'Thank you' and Horatio shook his hand. 'No problem'.

TBC


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own

Chapter 12

As soon as they stepped past the threshold Ryan found himself pinned against a wall, Eric's mouth against his, hot and demanding. He arched into the strong body against his and whimpered. Eric's kiss was brutal and Ryan loved every minute off it. He arched his hips, causing his erection to brush against Eric's and The Cuban groaned, pressing their groins closer together.

Eric's hand snuck underneath Ryan's shirt, caressing the smooth skin. The older man quickly started to unbutton and unzip Ryan's jeans, working his hands inside Ryan's boxer shorts he started caressing Ryan's erection, feeling the young man arch up into him. Ryan mewled in pleasure and Eric smirked. He softly started to nip and suck on the sensitive skin of Ryan's throat, knowing that he was driving Ryan insane.

He let go of Ryan's erection and ignored the disappointed whimper. He nuzzled into Ryan's throat and Ryan moaned, barring his throat even further. Eric pulled Ryan away from the wall and headed for the bedroom, dragging Ryan behind him. He took one look at Ryan's face and enveloped him in his arms. He dove in for the kiss and could feel Ryan arch into him. He hurriedly started to take off Ryan's clothing and then his own. He embraced the younger man again and Ryan whimpered at the feeling of skin against skin.

Eric slowly manoeuvred them to the bed and deposited Ryan on top. He covered Ryan's body with his own, pressing the younger man into the mattress. Ryan reached up to kiss him and Eric smiled into the kiss. His hands caressed all over the young man's body and he could feel his need rising. He tried to calm himself down and take it slow, revel in the feeling of having Ryan back in his arms.

Ryan felt torn between starving for air and Eric's touch. The young man pushed against Eric's chest and looked the older man in the eyes. He was panting, trying to catch his breath and a thought entered his mind crystal clear. "Make me yours, Eric. Prove to me that I'm only yours… please." "Baby…" Eric breathed, his lips ghosting over Ryan's skin and the young man shivered. "Eric… only yours." Ryan whimpered, his hands grasping Eric's biceps.

The Cuban whispered. "How, baby, how do you want me to prove it to you?" Ryan whimpered and Eric pressed his hands into Ryan's sides. "Tell me baby."

Ryan opened his eyes and they were huge, dark and filled with need. "Tie me up, prove to me I'm yours, only yours." The Cuban smirked. "Tie you up? After you've been kidnapped?" Ryan's skin flushed. "I know it sounds strange, but I need you to prove to me that I'm only yours. Please, Eric."

Eric smiled and kissed Ryan deeply. He took one of Ryan's wrists and pushed it backwards, putting a strain on Ryan's shoulder and creating an arch. He used one end of the sheet to tie it back. He then took the other and tied it up in a similar way. He leaned backwards and smiled. The young man's back was set in an arch, his smooth skin flushed pink and stretched over sinewy muscle. His hair was matted down with sweat and his eyes glittered with desire and need. His lips were swollen and red. Eric smirked to himself and the thought rose in his head unbidden and forceful.

_Mine. _

He dove back in to kiss Ryan, his hands smoothing down Ryan's sides and the young man arched further into him. "More." Eric complied, his touches becoming heavier, rougher and his mouth more demanding. Ryan's hips bucked up against his and Eric pressed back.

Eric could feel his desire building at the base of his spine and he needed Ryan so badly. He quickly prepared his lover, revelling in the way Ryan responded to him. And then he entered the young man in one swift trust and Ryan cried out in pleasure, his body arching into Eric's as much as his restrains aloud and his eyes squeezed shut.

They were breathing heavily and Eric rested his body weight on Ryan. The young man mewled softly when Eric sucked on Ryan's collar bone. Eric started to move, his thrusts deep and hard and Ryan moaned. "More." Eric complied, angling his thrusts carefully, hitting Ryan's prostate every time. "Harder."

The young man wrapped his legs around Eric's waist. "Harder, please." And Eric shoved into Ryan with a violence and hunger he didn't even knew he possessed. Ryan took it all, crying out for more and squirming, driving Eric out of his mind. There wasn't a doubt that Ryan would be sore come morning and probably bruised in many places but the young man couldn't bring himself to care.

The feeling of being possessed by his lover went beyond anything he'd ever felt before and he wanted more, wanted so much more. "Want… need." Ryan couldn't form the words, but Eric seemed to know exactly what he was trying to say. He pressed down on Ryan harder, became rougher, assuring Ryan that he was there and that Ryan was his.

Ryan was blinded when his orgasm hit him, he could only see Eric's eyes, dark, possessive and he could feel himself soaring. He came back to earth with a crash and he could feel his chest heaving for air. Eric was still hard and inside of him and Ryan bit his lip when Eric's eyes met his.

Eric started to thrust again and Ryan moaned when Eric hit his prostate. Eric leaned forward and kissed him, possessively and with a desperation Ryan hardly recognized in his lover. The Cuban started to pound into him then, thrusting hard and Ryan threw his head and cried out in pleasure when Eric stroked his member back into hardness.

"Do you know how beautiful you are when you cum baby?" Eric asked, his voice husky and seductive. Ryan swallowed at the tone, his eyes opening and focusing on Eric's face through a haze of lust. "You're skin is flushed and your head is thrown back and your eyes glaze over. You're mouth opens in a soundless scream and the image just makes me want to just take you again and again." "Eric!"

Eric smirked and his thrusts were so deep, hard and violent that they didn't last very long until they came. They cried out their love for each other and Eric collapsed next to Ryan, breathing heavily. He snuggled into Ryan's chest. "I love you baby." All he got was an approving murmur before he could hear Ryan's breathing even out.

Smiling to himself he raised his arms and gently released Ryan's hands from the head board, noticing the bruises already started to form on Ryan's wrists. His last thought before he fell asleep was if they were going to do this again they would definitely have to get padded handcuffs.

TBC


	13. Chapter 13

Dislcaimer: I do not own

Chapter 13

Ryan kissed Eric's naked shoulder and snuggled further into the warm embrace. He could feel Eric's chuckles vibrate through the other man's chest and he smiled to himself. Ryan wrapped his arms around Eric's neck and sighed contently. "I could just lie here all day." Eric smiled and wrapped his arms around his lover. "Well we can because H gave us the day off."

"Good." Ryan breathed. "Now we only have to pray that Rowen doesn't decide to stop by." Eric chuckled. "She called when you were sleeping, she's stuck at work all day so she'll stop by later this evening." Ryan pulled away slightly to look up at his lover's face. "She called instead of just showing up?" Eric nodded. Ryan blinked. "Well that's a first."

Deciding to let things go he settled back on top of his lover. "You know, Ryan, my place is kinda small for the two of us." Eric said, idly stroking the back of his lover. "And you don't want to go back to your place which is completely understandable." Ryan nodded, murmuring sleepily. "So, how about we get a place together?" Eric asked.

Ryan snuggled further into Eric's body and smiled. "I'd really like that."

The End


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